In the Hands of the Gods
by Truenorth12
Summary: A young human girl with an Asgard past is summoned back to the realm of the gods to once and for all face the truth of who she is and take a stand against the enemies of Asgard...and a certain god's son. Previously on my old account, JustASmallTownSquirrel.
1. Summons

**Hi everyone, just a quick note. This story is one I had on my old account, and since I recently figured out how to log back on, I plan to transfer it over here. **

**I'm not currently working on it, but I'm hoping if I post what I already have slowly, by the time my old chapters are up, I'll have more written. No promises.**

**I hope anyone who discovers it here enjoys the story. Feedback is always welcome, whether it's about something you like or otherwise!**

Something was wrong. Angelia Langeis hadn't felt it so surely since returning home four years before. It was a bigger feeling than the time she'd been out hunting and felt a prick of unease. That was the day she'd come home to find the cabin ablaze. Today she had woken feeling the same unease, but it was far more than a little prick. The feeling hadn't gone away all morning, though she'd done her best to go about her chores as normal.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that when the small tap came at the window, she jumped up into a well-practiced stance of defense, only to find there was an abnormally small, plain sparrow tapping his beak against the pane.

Letting out a held breath, Angelia crossed the room to the window and slid open the window. The bird fluttered in as he had done almost daily since joining her long ago. It was only in the past week that her winged companion had mysteriously disappeared. She momentarily forgot her anxiety as she greeted the sparrow, busying herself with setting out a mixture of seeds on his usual perch. The bird nattered happily to her and fluffed its feathers, settling in comfortably.

It wasn't until the flurry of movement drew her eyes towards his shifting feet that she noticed the roll of paper curling around his leg.

Gently she unraveled the tiny scroll and unrolled it.

_Trouble in A_

_Meet T in N_

_Tell No One_

There was no doubt who the message had come from.

Angelia had to sit for a moment, thinking back to a time when this message never would have been necessary. She tried not to dwell on the past, knowing she couldn't change the events that had swept her up in a fantastical whirlwind that had always been an unwelcome presence in the back of her mind, events that had started on her seventeenth birthday, and ended, she had thought, with her eighteenth.

No doubt it was her self-appointed guardian summoning her, though why he would call on her now, when she was finally settling back into a normal life she couldn't guess. One thing she knew, she didn't owe him anything and if she was to comply with the directions mandated in the note, it would only be to put the aggravating man in his place so she could move on.

Later that afternoon, Angelia, trailed at a distance by the little bird, hiked to the nearest town. She took a small table at the rundown diner and ordered a small meal before excusing herself to use the phone. She let out a breath as someone answered on the other end.

"Yes," she said, keeping her voice light, "I'd like to purchase a ticket to New York. The soonest flight you have."


	2. Reunion

Less than twenty-four hours later, I land in New York City. The flight stewardess had given me the first hint of what was to come when we landed when she mentioned how unusual it was for the city to be accepting incoming traffic. It seemed that most of the passengers were CIA agents of a sort that boarded from Washington while the plane was laid over, and it was only because these men needed to get to the scene that the plane was granted access to the runway.

I didn't bring any luggage so I leave the throng of agents at the conveyor and venture out into the normally hectic city. It's strange to me, the eerie silence coating the city. Even stranger is the black smoke billowing across the skyline, drawing my attention to the ruins I stand in front of.

The entire area is unrecognizable. Cars litter the streets, many smashed and overturned. The buildings beyond were similarly destroyed. Many looked as though holes had been blasted through the center of the infrastructure, leaving half-buildings still standing. Many others had towered over and lay blocking the streets, smoke rising from the rubble.

The note hadn't said exactly where I was to meet up with '_T_' but thankfully another talent kicks in and I can feel the pulsing feeling in my brain, like a painless headache that doubles as a homing device. I know where I need to go.

As I pick through the mess, stopping occasionally to help others lift vehicles and beams off of survivors, the feeling begins to intensify, leading me through the broken city just as a hound's nose leads him to his prey.

I don't realize how out of touch I've become with my abilities until I can see my target clearly ahead. Once upon a time I would have known exactly where he stood long before I could see him.

His friends are hanging around congratulating him, no doubt having been the ones to save the rest of the world from New York's fate. I've heard of them on the news, and talked about in hushed corners but never have I seen them up close. The Avengers, they have been christened. If the man in chains is any indicator, they have indeed avenged the city.

He sees me before I call out, obviously more in touch with his senses than I am. I mentally kick myself for being so lax on mental training.

"Angel," he nods, looking as stunning as ever, even through a sheen of sweat. I've never seen a god sweat before and honestly hadn't even thought it to be a possibility. Who'd have thunk it?

"Thor," I nod back, uneasily avoiding his gaze. When our eyes do meet, I know it isn't just me who remembers the past, and it's not just me who hurts. It is times like this I wish that I couldn't read so far into emotions. The sudden raw ache takes me by surprise and I look around awkwardly at the city.

"I was told to meet you in New York," I say. Chances are he wasn't briefed on this. Odin rarely saw fit to fully inform everyone or anyone. "I don't really know that that was an accurate term for this place. It's even more of a disaster now."

"You just about missed me," he says, shifting his weight. "I assume father wanted you to be part of the council tomorrow. Rightfully, you _do_ have a chair. He will want all voices to be heard at Asgard's greatest trial to date." He pauses and gives the man at his side a hard look. "It's not every century we must decide whether to execute one of our own."

I look at the other man. Tall, though slightly shorter than Thor, the second man shares no resemblance with the man holding him securely in place. Green eyes, black hair, and a demeaning smile, it seems to me as though he is trying to unsettle me. I can't read his feelings, and that realization unsettles me more than his gaze.

There is only one other being I've met who I cannot read, and instantly I know who he is, though we've never met nor been introduced.

"Loki," I say, voicing the realization aloud. "I should have known it would be you behind such chaos."

"I don't believe we know each other," he replies coldly. "Therefor, you know nothing."

"Angelia, Loki. Loki, Angelia," Thor says, jerking his brother's arm for emphasis. "Now that we all know each other, if you don't mind, Father is expecting us."

"I mind," Loki interjects. With another jerk, Thor's meaning is clear and Loki squares his jaw in silence.

Thor throws up a portal in front of us and motions for me to go ahead. "Ladies first," he says, and so I take a breath and step back through into a life I prayed years ago to leave behind.


	3. Homecoming

Homecoming

A quick flash of blinding white light later and I am standing in another realm, blinking stupidly as I clear the light spots from my vision. I am in a dark, earthy smelling room, facing a man adorned in golden armour.

"Greetings, Gatekeeper," I say, bowing in respect.

"Ah," he says, spreading his arms in welcome. "The Angel of Asgard has at last returned. I believe the land has just increased in happiness and beauty."

I look around, taking in the dark surroundings. Last time I travelled through the Portal it was located in a golden dome out past the city boundaries. "Have you misplaced the dome?"

"The old Portal is gone," he replies, his voice heavier. "The sons of Odin battled there and it was lost."

Another flash of white light from behind me cuts off the conversation, as we are joined by Thor and Loki.

"Loki Laufeyson," he says, with a much more menacing voice. "The traitor of Asgard has returned far too soon for my liking. 'Tis good to see you well, Thor Odinson of the Asgard Great."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry, my dear Gatekeeper," Loki responds, looking around in disdain. "If the council is to have their way, this may very well be the last you'll ever see of me. Would you like to take a moment to burn this memory in your mind to keep forevermore?"

Ignoring him, the Gatekeeper motions down the tunnel. "You will find this leads straight to your destination. May your hammer stay strong."

Thor, too, gives a slight bow out of deference and we move on ahead. I step back and allow Thor to bring Loki through first, the tunnel being too narrow for three of us to fit side by side.

The short walk is filled only with silence. I think to make conversation with Thor, but can think of nothing to discuss with Loki so close. I wonder what exactly Loki meant when he mentioned the council having their way. Was there to be a trial of sorts? I'd never heard of the gods trying one of their own, no matter the crime. Perhaps this one had pushed the others over the edge.

I stumble on the uneven ground, my mind in the clouds. Focussing less on thinking and more on walking, we continue up the sloping path. It seems like much more time has passed than expected when our trio comes to a stop in front of a double set of iron doors.

Thor grips his hammer in one hand and raps lighty against the door. Instantly, the metal alights with three trails of colour; green, red and blue, before it swings open to our destination; the great hall where much of the city is gathered to witness the return of two sons.

As Thor drags Loki into the room, the crowd begins to buzz, people recognizing both their golden boy and his hated counterpart.

"Enough." The command isn't yelled but carries across the room as it amplifies from the throne at the front of the throng. "I am glad to see you well," he says, and even I, hidden back in the shadows, can tell he only speaks to one.

"It is good to be home," Thor replies, bowing deeply in reverence.

"I am sure I've told you before, dear girl, it is impolite to dwell in doorways."

I step forward, furious with myself as I feel my face flush under the scrutiny of the room. Thor raises a hand and grips my shoulder for a brief moment, and with that show of solidarity, I feel myself calming. "My King," I say, resorting to a deep curtsy in front of the nobility. "I am glad to see you well." The token greeting is approved by the crowd, though it is not in the least sense original.

"Welcome home, Lady Odetta Angelia Rosa Langeis," he says, his tone soft and commanding as it draws out every syllable. "Asgard welcomes you back with warmth and light."

King Odin doesn't acknowledge the other man who has just entered the room and speaks again, directing his attention to myself and Thor.

"Tomorrow at dawn," he starts, his gaze flickering to Loki. I flicker my gaze too and see he does not meet the King's eyes, instead choosing to study the floor. Again I try to read his feelings but I find nothing. "Tomorrow at dawn, council will commence in the trial of Loki Laufeyson. With the last o the council members now present we can continue with the trial as planned."

A muscle in Loki's jaw ticked and I wonder if he fears the decision the council will come to. I have been picking up on whispers of execution since entering the room, and surely Loki hasn't been able to block out every voice.

"I would advise the council members to retire early this eve in preparation for tomorrow's events." He nods towards us again. "Naslund and Riel will show you to your chambers."

One of the King's Men, who had been standing near to the king stepped forward. "If you'll come with me, my lady, I will show you to your chambers."

Naslund, I remember, nodding my assent. He had been a guard last time I was here and was instrumental in much of my training. I follow him from the room with only a backward glance to Thor, as if to confirm I was free to leave. Though we hadn't seen each other in over four years, I found it easy to slip back into old habits. Thor nods in understanding and turns to face his father.

I don't hear anything else that is said in the banquet hall as I follow Naslund down a wide hall and up several flights of stairs.

"I had the liberty of choosing your rooms," he says, pausing at the top of all the stairs, "and I seem to remember a certain young woman's affinity for places high off the ground."

Without waiting for any form of reply, he opens the heavy wooden door to reveal a classic sitting room, complete with a large window and an already lit fireplace. I make my way straight across the room for the window and the view absolutely takes my breath away.

Far below I can see a section of the castle, as well as another turret off a little ways to the west, though it doesn't stand as high as this one. Beyond the stone walls, though, as high up as I am I can see leagues and leagues of the countryside, all the way until the faraway mountains obstruct my view. I am struck with a sudden feeling of homesickness as I take in the mountain scenery. It's like having home within my grasp yet I am unable to return.

"It is good to have you back, Princess," Naslund says with a happy smile. "The boys just don't have the same effect on the King. Don't get me wrong, Thor is everything Odin could ask for in a son, but trust me, as a father I should know, no one sings to a father's heart quite like a daughter."

"Thank you for your words, and your thoughtfulness in choosing my rooms, I am quite pleased," I say, setting my jaw. "But you of all here should know I will not take that title. Lady, yes, okay, but never Princess. And as Odin is not my father in any way, shape or form, I am sure I do not have the effect on him that your daughter has on you. Odin and I have an entirely different agreement."

"Well, however he feels, it was a wise choice on his part to bring you here. You have always had a fair eye for judgment. And maybe a sisterly feel is all Loki needs, eh?"

"I am _not_ at all sisterly towards the traitor. In case you didn't notice, he just tried to take over my native planet. I will have nothing to do with that sorry excuse for a god."

Naslund gives a little shrug, as if to agree. "Can't blame you for that, I guess. Council meets at sunrise tomorrow so it's best to wait until tomorrow evening to meet with old friends, should you decide to socialize." He pauses in the doorway. "Oh, and as for Thor," he adds, "I know you two, at least, get along. I made sure he has rooms within the same tower. He is two flights down the stairs, should you like to visit at some juncture."

"Thank you, Naslund," I say as he swings the door shut.


End file.
